An afternoon visit to a local market, I came across a very funny poster that said ” Buy 1, Get 5 free! “. I chuckled as it reminded me of a morning discussion with friends on discounting gimmicks in retail sales. I immediately grabbed my Blackberry, took a snap, clicked ‘Share on Facebook‘ and moved ahead. By the same evening, there were 18 comments, ’25 Likes’ and more importantly I realized that my discussion with friends had continued in real time, long after we had left the room.

A few days ago, I went to a ‘Reunion’ party of sorts and was thrilled to meet some old friends after more than a decade. Just then, a friend’s spouse said “Hey, you know we were also at the club in the same evening, but must have missed you by a whisker”. Stunned (and feeling a bit scandalized 🙂 ) to hear this from a completely unknown person, I said ” Aa Umm… What are you talking about??? ” She laughed out loud and replied “We saw your snaps … on FB!” (Through my friend’s account).

That brought me to another key realization that Facebook is the Ice-breaker!

With all the recent activity updates and snaps, one always subconsciously feels to be connected to another, on a day to day basis and bypasses any Introductory / ‘Ice-breaking’ requirements 😀

Facebook, just another social networking site of the West, had quietly seeped-into & become part of my life. Cognizant of the fact that I might be sharing too much information, it does make me a bit restless without checking updates for a few hours. A few minutes of idle time and immediately I hook onto it. Infact, the mobile experience is so seamless, that I prefer to use Facebook and Twitter on the mobile and not on my laptop.

Is it just me? Is it an OCD? … Well, now it is a Phenomenon!

Did you know that…

Facebook has over 550 million members and if it were a real country, it would already be the 3rd largest country after China and India

The era Error of George W. Bush‘s US presidency is over. Whether you like him or not, he has left behind a steady inventory of some hilariously memorable quotes as the president of United states. Some of these are collected here…

‘The vast majority of our imports come from outside the country.’

‘If we don’t succeed, we run the risk of failure.’

‘I have made good judgments in the past. I have made good judgments in the future.’

‘The future will be better tomorrow.’

‘We’re going to have the best educated American people in the world..’

‘A low voter turnout is an indication of fewer people going to the polls.’

‘I have opinions of my own — strong opinions — but I don’t always agree with them.’

‘We are ready for any unforeseen event that may or may not occur.’

‘For NASA, space is still a high priority.’

‘Quite frankly, teachers are the only profession that teach our children.’

‘It isn’t pollution that’s harming the environment. It’s the impurities in our air and water that are doing it.’

‘I remember meeting a mother of a child who was abducted by the North Koreans right here in the Oval Office.’

‘We’ve got a lot of relations with countries in our neighborhood.’

‘And so, General, I want to thank you for your service. And I appreciate the fact that you really snatched defeat out of the jaws of those who are trying to defeat us in Iraq.’ –George W. Bush, to Army Gen. Ray Odierno, Washington, D.C., March 3, 2008